Slavish mentality persists in Chitral

Chitral– The Nazims of Mastuj sub division headed by clergy men, in a press conference have demanded that the Shandur festival not be held this year. This demand they put forward almost every year. The reason behind the demand is understandable in that the clergy men deem every form of merry making a threat to their authority-agreed, but what is equally sick is the reason given by those wanting the Shandur festival to be held.

In an ongoing social media debate, the supporters of Shandur festival invariably argued that due to Shandur Festival VVIPs come to attend it and they announce funds for Chitral. Whether it is the clergy’s point of view or that of the fund seekers at Shandur,  both speak of a very low human weightage index in Chitral.

Why should people look towards individuals to grant them funds on the occasion of the Shandur festival? Is there no system in the country? Do the people not have rights over development funds or are these funds a ‘meherbani’ at the whims of individuals and restricted to visits and festivals. Is there no streamlined system to disburse these funds as in civilised societies?.

It is appalling to hear people debating over “what has Nawaz Sharif given us” and “what has Imran Khan given us”. No one debates “what has the system given us”. Slavish mentality in full bloom despite the high rate of education in Chitral.

An awareness program needs to be launched in Chitral educating people about their rights and responsibilities. Adhocism in living their lives from one VIP visit to another, looking towards individuals to oblige them is a stigma on the face of a free and self respecting people.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *